HALIFAX What s being called an unknown substance found on blotters typically associated with the use of acid is causing worry and warnings in the Halifax area. People think it s going to be an acid trip and next thing you know they re not waking up, says Matthew Bonn of the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs. Bonn says an increase in overdoses over the last couple weeks has raised alarm bells. It s really surprising to me because, usually when you see overdose deaths, it s related to a pill that someone may have taken, it s related to a substance that someone may have injected. It s not really a blotter pad, that s more recreational kind of acid, Bonn says.
The key to curb addictions and overcome the opioid crisis is to provide addicts with a recovery-oriented system of care instead of supplying them with drugs, according to Alberta’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
April 29, 2021
Harm reduction supplies for clients, including needles, are pictured in the Co-LEAD program offices on May 6, 2020 in Seattle, Washington.
The Biden-Harris administration recently announced that it is committed to transforming the national drug policy by expanding access to evidence-based treatment, harm reduction, and prevention efforts, and by reducing the supply of illicit substances.
A change in drug policy is more important than ever, especially considering that according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 13% of Americans reported that they had started or increased substance use to cope with the pandemic.
The CDC also found that 81,000 reported drug overdose deaths occurred across the nation between June 2019 and May 2020. The increase in deaths was linked to using synthetic opioids, psychostimulants (methamphetamine), and cocaine. Overdose deaths involving these drugs increased by 38.4%, 34.8%, and 26.5%, respectively. That’s an increase
A comprehensive harm reduction plan for at-risk populations is essential to Canada s COVID-19 recovery plan theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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An Alberta court has denied an application that would have forced the province to continue providing injectable opioid agonist treatment (iOAT) at two government-funded clinics slated to shutter next month amid an ongoing lawsuit.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Grant Dunlop ruled planned changes by the UCP government, and their effect on 11 severe opioid use disorder patients who launched a legal challenge, “will be minor.”
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“While there is an argument to be made that those changes will breach one or more of the Plaintiffs’ Charter rights, the Plaintiffs have not established that they will suffer irreparable harm as a result of those changes,” Dunlop wrote in his Feb. 25 ruling.